You know how to reduce your risk of skin cancer: Use sunscreen, avoid overexposure to the sun and just say no to indoor tanning.

For many people, the experts at Memorial Sloan Kettering (MSK) also recommend regular skin cancer screenings, which can detect skin cancer and precancerous growths early, when they are easiest to treat. The good news is that these exams are painless and noninvasive, take only minutes and are often offered for free by healthcare providers across the country.

When you see a health care professional for a screening, “make sure your whole body is checked,” said Dr. Quigley, “because the most common places for melanomas to grow are hard for people to see themselves. For men, it’s their backs. For women, it’s the back of the legs.”

Some of Dr. Quigley’s other tips:

Don’t be shy. Let the doctor look everywhere.

Don’t wear nail polish, because melanomas can grow in fingernails and toenails.

Don’t wear makeup. You don’t want to cover up any suspicious areas.

If your hair is long, bring something to tie it up.

Don’t wear any tinted products like glitter or body gel.

It’s perfectly normal for the doctor to touch your skin to see if a spot is smooth or rough. Don’t be concerned that’s a bad sign.

Men over age 50 are among those at highest risk of melanoma, but are often the most resistant to getting screened. Get over it, guys.

Do self exams really work, and how often should I do them?

"Self-exams are very important and should be done every month," Dr. Quigley said. Do it systematically: Start at the top of your head or the bottom of your feet and go over your entire body. It’s important to use a mirror to see hard-to-reach places, like the back of the neck and ears. She also recommends having a family member look at your back. To track whether a mole is growing, take photos.

“Many growths that end up being cancer are first spotted by the person or someone close to them,” said Dr. Quigley. “As a rule of thumb, all concerning skin growths that can be seen by a person should be brought to the doctor’s attention. The dermatologist’s job is also to find the dangerous growths that are small and in places the person cannot see.”

What should I look for during a self-exam?

“Start by looking for new growths and changes in things that are already there,” Dr. Quigley said. “For example, if your moles are all light brown and now you have a new one that is jet black, this doesn’t fit your mole pattern. If a mole used to be the size of a pencil point and now it’s the size of a pencil eraser, it has changed significantly. These should be brought to your dermatologist's attention.”

Doctors recommend following the ABCDEs of melanoma as a guide to identify suspicious moles or spots:

A for asymmetry: One half doesn’t match the appearance of the other half

B for border: Edges that are uneven or irregular

C for color: Varying colors, including multiple shades of tan, brown, black, red, blue or white; or a different shade than your other moles

D for diameter: Width is larger than a pencil eraser (about 6 millimeters)

E for evolution: A change in the size, shape, surface or color over a fairly short period of time or something new that does not match your other moles

Doctors recommend following the ABCDEs of melanoma as a guide to identify suspicious moles or spots.(Photo11: Memorial Sloan Kettering)

If a mole has just one of these features — for instance, it is large but has hasn’t changed size or shape for a long time — it’s probably benign. But when two or more of these factors apply, it should be checked out.

“I also tell patients to ‘think pink’,” Dr. Quigley said. “Nonmelanoma skin cancers, like basal or squamous cell carcinoma are often pink. Basal cell carcinoma can be a spot that just doesn’t heal and may bleed frequently when washed or rubbed with a towel. Squamous cell carcinomas can be rough or scaly, almost like sandpaper. Some melanomas are also pink.”